Dangerously In Love
Dangerously In Love is the debut solo album of American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles, released on June 22, 2003, by Columbia Records. Recording sessions for the album took place in 2002 to 2003 at several studios, during the hiatus of her then-group Destiny's Child. The tracks in the album are a mixture of uptempos and ballads, which are basically inspired by R&B and soul genres; it also features elements of hip hop and Arabic music. Although Knowles remained discreet about her interpretation of the songs, its underlying meanings were attributed by music writers as an allusion to her intimate relationship with then-boyfriend and well-known music mogul Jay-Z. Dangerously In Love propelled Knowles in becoming a viable solo star, as well as one of the most marketable singers in the recording industry. It became a worldwide commercial success, earning multi-platinum certifications in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 317,000 copies in its first week. Dangerously In Love received mixed to positive reviews from music critics upon its release and earned Knowles five Grammy Awards. Background Knowles launched her career as lead singer to R&B group Destiny's Child in the late 1990s. According to Corey Moss of MTV News, "fans are eager to see" how Knowles, after years with the group, performs solo. While recording their third album, Survivor, in late 2000, Knowles announced the group would be put on hiatus in order for the members to produce solo albums in the coming years, which they hoped would boost interest in Destiny's Child. The idea of individual releases emanated from the group's manager and Knowles' father, Mathew. With different types of music for each member to produce, the albums were not intended to compete on the charts. Destiny's Child's management strategically planned to stagger the release of each group member's album to maximise sales. Michelle Williams was the first to release a debut solo album, Heart To Yours, in April 2002. Meanwhile, Knowles debuted on the big screen, starring in the comedy film Austin Powers in Goldmember, and recorded her debut single, Work It Out, which is featured on the soundtrack to the film. Rowland collaborated with American rapper Nelly on the song Dilemma as a featured artist; it became a hit that year, leading the label to advance the release date of her debut solo album, Simply Deep, in late 2002. Knowles also starred in The Fighting Temptations and recorded another solo single. In 2002, she collaborated with then-boyfriend Jay-Z as featured vocalist on the song '03 Bonnie & Clyde. The single earned Knowles credibility and paved the way for the release of Dangerously In Love. Recording Before Knowles started recording material for Dangerously In Love, she selected the producers with whom she would collaborate. For two days she held meetings with prospective producers from West Coast across the East Coast and had interviews with them.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangerously_in_Love#cite_note-Garfield-5Knowles went to Miami, Florida to begin sessions with Canadian record producer Scott Storch, her first collaborator,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangerously_in_Love#cite_note-TheMaking-6and lived in a Miami hotel in the following months. As she wanted to concentrate on the album, Knowles "took her time" to avoid pressure build-up, significantly different from the hasty productions of Destiny's Child. As she did on Survivor, Knowles took a wider role in the production of Dangerously In Love, co-writing a majority of the songs, choosing which ones to produce and sharing ideas on the mixing and mastering of tracks. Although Knowles did not create beats, she came up with melodies and ideas she shared with the producers. With forty-three songs completed - fifteen of which made it to the album - Knowles is credited as co-writer and co-producer, as well as the album's executive producer alongside Matthew Knowles. Knowles felt that recording an album without her group mates was "liberating and therapeutic", coming into the studio and freely expressing her ideas with her collaborators. The dependency she developed with Destiny's Child, however, meant it was harder "to be on her own creatively".As she wanted to grow as an artist Knowles contacted other artists with a view to forming a collaborative partnership. When the collective finished writing several songs, she printed copies of each and sent them to prospective guest artists. She talked to them by phone for possible collaboration, eventually gaining their approval. Besides Jay-Z, Knowles was able to work with Jamaican artist Sean Paul, American rapper Missy Elliott, among others. In contrast, some artists sent copies of songs to Knowles, which were eventually produced. Additionally, Knowles also worked with Timbaland and Missy Elliott on a track titled Wrapped Around Me for the album. Eventually, however, for reasons unknown, the song failed to appear on the album. Dangerously In Love was originally a song of the same title which Knowles had written for Survivor. Dangerously In Love was deemed too "sophisticated" compared to other songs on Survivor, and the group decided not to release it as a single off the album. After she had recorded several tracks for Dangerously In Love, Knowles decided to add Dangerously In Love, after realizing that it fit the overriding theme of the album. Since the album's release date was postponed to capitalize on the success of Dilemma, Knowles had been afforded the chance to further enhance the album. Although she was disappointed with the move, Knowles realized that "everything happens for a reason", agreeing to return to the recording studio to work with other songwriters. This allowed her to record more songs, including the album's lead single, Crazy In Love. In late 2002, Knowles paused working on Dangerously In Love for a holiday tour with Destiny's Child. With a few weeks left for recording in March 2003, Knowles was still collaborating with other guests on the album, including Sean Paul and P. Diddy. Music Musical style Knowles' father-manager said that Dangerously In Love showcases her musical roots. While Williams and Rowland were on gospel and alternative pop, respectively, Knowles focused on recording R&B songs. Songs in the album are varied: from mid tempo and club-oriented tracks in the first half, and ballads in the second half. Knowles commented: "My album is a good balance of ... ballads and ... mid-tempos with just ridin'-in-your-car feels, to a lot of ... up-tempo club songs, to really sexy songs, to songs that make you feel emotional. It's a nice mixture of different types of tracks." With high-energy songs like Crazy In Love and Naughty Girl, however, the album's focal mode is slow and moody. Knowles said that she had written lots of ballads for the album. According to Knowles, she wanted to be understood as an artist and showcase her range, and by doing so, she blended various genres and musical influences in the album. The album incorporates contemporary R&B, hip hop, soul, and rock influences. The album took hip hop influences from Jay-Z, Outkast, and Lil' Kim; the reggae is from Sean Paul; and courtesy of Storch, the album explores Arabic music. His personal study of that kind of music has given the album a Middle-Eastern vibe. Knowles and the producers also used a wide array of instrumentations. Lyrical content, interpretation When '03 Bonnie & Clyde was released as a single in late 2002, critics and the public had speculated that Knowles and Jay-Z were having a mutual affair. Despite widespread rumours, they remained silent about their relationship. According to critics, the title itself of the album sounds "more intriguing" with Knowles singing personal songs. Though love is the theme Knowles had incorporated in the album, "most the material is vague enough to be about any relationship"; however, there are songs that suggest affirmation of their relationship. In the song Signs, Knowles sings being in love with a Sagittarius which coincidentally is Jay-Z's zodiac sign. In response to the persistent rumours about them, Knowles stated, "People can come to whatever conclusion they like ... That's the beauty of music ... I'm a singer, I'll talk about writing songs all you want. But when it comes to certain personal things any normal person wouldn't tell people they don't know, I just feel like I don't have to about it." Knowles said that Dangerously In Love is lyrically similar to Destiny's Child's albums. But because she only had to write for herself, Knowles had the chance to compose personally deeper songs than their previous records. With a theme that is based upon different stages of a romatic relationship, Dangerously In Love contains songs that speak of love and honesty. In addition, Knowles admitted that there are songs about love-making. The personal content of the album, however, was not generally attributed to Knowles' experience—although some were based from her's—instead, because the theme kept recurring in her mind. Knowles later explained: "I wanted to have an album that everyone could relate to and would listen to as long as I'm alive and even after ... Love is something that never goes out of style. It's something everybody experiences, and if they are not in love, people usually want to feel that ..." While some songs merely focus on the "beauty of love", the album also explores the other side, of which songs that "celebrate breakup" and songs that narrate a woman's desire to having a degree of control in a relationship. The album's hidden track, Daddy, is a tribute to her father, whom she was with in the industry for years since Mathew Knowles fronted the group as their manager. The song is an account of Knowles wanting her future husband and child to possess qualities similar to her father's. Originally, Knowles did not intend to include the track in the album, having thought its lyrics would make her appear immature. However, considering it one of the songs that reflect Knowles' life at that transitional moment, she instead relegated Daddy as the closing track. Release, promotion Knowles said that she had trouble convincing executives at Columbia Records to release the album. The singer recounted that it almost was not released: "In 2003, I had my first solo album. But when I played it through for my record label, they told me I didn't have one hit on my album. I guess they were kinda right, I had five. Dangerously In Love, Naughty Girl, Me, Myself And I, Baby Boy and Crazy In Love." Since Dilemma was concurrently charting atop the Billboard Hot 100, Knowles' management released, Work It Out, one of the songs on the soundtrack to Austin Powers in Goldmember, instead of a single from Dangerously In Love to preclude it from possibly competing with the former. From the original release date of October 2002, the album was pushed to December in the same year, and to May in the following year. Knowles recorded a version of In Da Club, and served its way to mixtapes before its original release date. The single failed to dominate as "dancefloor favorite"; Mathew Knowles, however, confirmed that it was just a "buzz cut" and was not included in the album. Nonetheless, it earned enough airplay to appear on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. While Knowles was wrapping up the album, several of its songs had leaked online. In efforts to prevent more tracks in the album from being spread illegally, as well as being a victim of bootlegging, Columbia Records, with high commercial expectations from the album, pulled the release of Dangerously In Love to June 24, 2003, two weeks ahead of the planned July 8 release. Buyers who pre-ordered the album online received links where they could download a song called I Can't Take It No More; the promo lasted until the album's release. On June 14, 2004, Knowles premiered songs from the album during her first solo concert and the pay-per-view TV special, "Ford Presents Beyoncé Knowles, Friends & Family, Live From Ford's 100th Anniversary Celebration in Dearborn, Michigan". By the night of the album's release, Knowles' concert was broadcast in more than twenty theaters across the United States. Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, Tyrese, Solange Knowles and girl group Ramiyah also performed in the show. Knowles also promoted the album by performing in television shows such as the Saturday Night Live, Late Show with David Letterman, The Today Show, The Early Show, and The View. By April 2003, Knowles' management was choosing the album's lead single between two songs. Sent to clubs, the song that would receive positive reception were be considered the lead single. Finally, Crazy In Love was released as the lead single off the album. With commercial success that included crossover music markets, the single spent eight consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Baby Boy followed, and received greater success than Crazy In Love. With its dominance on radio airplays, the single surpassed Crazy In Love's chart performance, remaining on the top spot for nine consecutive weeks. Me, Myself And I was released as the third single and Naughty Girl as fourth and last; although the last two releases only reached the top five on the Hot 100, like Baby Boy, it attained more immediate and commercial successes which propelled the album atop the chart and helped it earn multi-platinum certifications. Category:2003 discography Category:Beyonce Knowles Category:Albums